title: Use, Attitudes and Knowledge of Complementary and Alternative Drugs (CADs) Among Pregnant Women: a Preliminary Survey in Tuscany.
abstract: To explore pregnant women's use, attitudes, knowledge and beliefs of complementary and alternative drugs (CADs) defined as products manufactured from herbs or with a natural origin. A preliminary survey was conducted among 172 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy, consecutively recruited in two obstetrical settings; 15 women were randomly selected to compute a test-to-retest analysis. Response rate was 87.2%. Test-to-retest analysis showed a questionnaire's reproducibility exceeding a K-value of 0.7 for all items. Mean age was 32.4 ± 0.4 years; most women were nulliparae (62.7%). The majority of subjects (68%) declared to have used one or more CADs during their lifetime; 48% of pregnant women reported taking at least one CAD previously and during the current pregnancy. Women's habitual use of CADs meant they were at higher risk of taking CADs also during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio = 10.8; 95% confidence interval: 4.7-25.0). Moreover, 59.1% of the subjects were unable to correctly identify the type of CADs they were using. The majority of women resorted to gynecologists as the primary information source for CADs during pregnancy, while they mainly referred to herbalists when not pregnant. Habitual use of CADs seems to be a strong predictor for their ingestion also during pregnancy; in addition most subjects were unable to correctly identify the products they were taking. In the light of the scanty data concerning the safety of CADs during pregnancy, these preliminary results confirm the need to investigate thoroughly the situation of pregnant women and CADs consumption.
authors.affiliation: Tuscan Regional Centre of Pharmacovigilance, Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, Florence, Department of Statistical Science, University of Florence, Department of Emergency Medicine, ASL 4 Hospital, Prato and Centre of Natural Medicine, ASL 11 Hospital, Empoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lapi
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vannacci
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moschini
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cipollini
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morsuillo
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Banchelli
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Pirro
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cariglia
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gori
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Firenzuoli
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mugelli